Over 2,300 students from EAE Business School Madrid graduate at the Wanda Metropolitano
EAE Business School Madrid has held its graduation ceremony with over 2,300 students of the class of 2021 at the Wanda Metropolitano, with the President of Microsoft Spain, Alberto Granados, as the patron of the graduating class. In his speech, the executive shared a few lessons he has learned over the course of his professional career spanning more than 30 years in the Information Technologies sector. “Companies want curious, imaginative people with a growth mindset. We are looking for courageous people who are willing to take a risk, fail and, most importantly, learn from their mistakes in order to grow personally and professionally”, explained Granados to the attendees, emphasizing that “making mistakes is the best way to learn”.
The President of Microsoft Spain went on to discuss the complicated geopolitical landscape that we now live in, highlighting that “now more than ever before, the key is people”. In this respect, his speech focused on issues such as the mission, purpose, values and culture of organizations, the leadership model, trust and ethics. “Spanish society is demanding that all companies embrace ethical management that takes into account their business activities’ impact on the society in which they operate, as well as incorporating ESG criteria (environmental, social and corporate governance) within their strategy. The companies of the future will be the result of intertwining their purpose and values as an organization, with their commercial capacities”.
During his speech, Alberto Granados also encouraged the new EAE graduates to reimagine the future. “You are probably the best-trained generation in history, the most capable and the most prepared. Don’t let us down. The future belongs to you. Help us reimagine it”, he emphasized.
Alberto Granados then handed over to Carlos Giménez, the CEO of Planeta Formación y Universidades, the international higher education network of which EAE Business School forms part. In his speech, Carlos Giménez outlined the four pillars that underpin an executive’s success: knowledge, passion, innovation and ethical values. He added that “ethical values play a fundamental role in transforming the society around us, always with the will to improve it.”
In the Antonio Rodriguez, the Dean of EAE Business School Madrid, “we have equipped our students with the tools they need to succeed in the professional world, as well as the competencies required to tackle all the challenges that future holds.”
After awarding the graduation sashes to more than 2,300 students, it was time to hear from the three representatives of the graduating class: Lisandro Loureiro from the Master in Human Resources and Talent Development, Marcela Anillo from the Full-Time IMBA, and Irini Sfirakis from the Weekend Master in Project Management.
This was followed by an emotional video made up of messages of congratulations for the students from their families and friends, especially those that were far away from the graduation ceremony, which the entire audience at the Wanda Metropolitano found very moving.
Moreover, a number of awards were given out at the ceremony. The Teaching Excellence Award was presented to the lecturers from EAE Business School Madrid, Marcelo Leporati and Esther González. The Top Recruiter Award went to LVMH and was collected by Carmen Salamero, the Director of HR at LVMH. Last but not least, Babson College received the Academic International Partner Award.
The event was presented by Sandra Golpe, the leading journalist and news presenter on Antena 3, and Carles Lamelo, the director and presenter of the program 'El Club de las Cinco' on the Onda Cero radio station.
ALBERTO GRANADOS, A CAREER SPANNING MORE THAN THREE DECADES
Alberto Granados has been the President of Microsoft Spain since July 2021, leading a team of around 900 people focused on supporting Spanish companies and public organizations in their digital transformation and sustainable innovation projects.
He has over 30 years of professional experience in the technology industry, much of which he has spent at Microsoft, which he joined in 1995.
Before becoming President of the Spanish subsidiary of the company, Granados held the position of Vice President of Digital Transformation Partnerships at the Microsoft Corporation, with global responsibility for the strategic digitization projects of large multinational organizations in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
He has held a range of different executive posts within the international Microsoft organization, including the Vice-President of Sales, Marketing and Operations for the Asia-Pacific region and Director of the Large Enterprise division at Microsoft Latin America. In his previous stage at Microsoft Spain, he held various different divisions, such as Director of Consulting Services, Director of Business Solutions and Director of Large Enterprises.
A graduate of Computer Science at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Alberto Granados also has postgraduate degrees from IESE, the Universidad de Navarra, INSEAD, MIT Sloan School of Management, Saïd Business School (Oxford University) and Harvard Business School.
He also works as an advisor at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
THE EAE GRADUATES
In the 2021 academic year, over 2,300 Master students from 76 different countries have graduated from EAE Business School Madrid. 53% of the new graduates come from the Americas and 43% from Europe.
